Each year, two early researchers are appointed to the Challenge Panel, where they benefit both from the contact with senior colleagues and from the interdisciplinary nature of the panel’s working environment. We’re pleased to introduce the first 2013 appointment, Lancaster University PhD student Mark McGlashan. Here’s what Mark has to say about himself and his work:

I am Mark McGlashan, a doctoral student in the Department of Linguistics and English Language at Lancaster University. My ESRC funded research looks at the representations of same-sex parents in children’s picturebooks. Though my research is concerned with issues relating to homophobia and how children’s literature might be used to challenge or prevent the perpetuation of homophobia, I am generally interested in issues of social inequality and injustice. With the help of CASS, I am taking my work beyond the boundaries of my PhD to work with key individuals from, amongst others, academia, publishing, and politics to increase the visibility and availability of LGBT children’s literature that challenge homophobia in schools.